Diary of a Professional Optimist+ chaos

7 entries · whenever I feel like it

A guide to building a business without losing yoursanity (or your health insurance).

Table of contents

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  1. 07May 20/Bolt. Margin. Predator.I’m spending hours debating the fiscal trajectory of a business that currently exists only in my own head and several frantic forum posts.May 20, 2026
  2. 06May 18/Stamp. Mask. Regulation.It turns out that admitting you're drowning in paperwork is a more effective business strategy than actually knowing what you're doing. The bureaucracy likes a victim.May 18, 2026
  3. 05May 16/Pamphlet. Static. Glass.Herr Schmidt thinks the future of optimization is fixing cracked phone screens in a room that hasn't seen joy since the Wall fell.May 16, 2026
  4. 04May 14/Algorithm. Jitters. Debt.I automated myself straight into a firing squad and managed to walk out with a homework assignment instead of a pink slip.May 14, 2026
  5. 03May 12/Starch. Cipher. Pivot.Naming a business is mostly an exercise in making sure you don't sound like a German surgeon or a very mediocre art school dropout.May 12, 2026
  6. 02May 10/Stamp. Fiber. Mercy.I’m choosing between a ruinous consultant or the whims of a state clerk who could classify my entire future as a weekend hobby.May 10, 2026
  7. 01May 8/Velocity. Staples. Purge.Marcus still thinks we're talking about output metrics, but I'm busy deciding which parts of this company's bloated soul no longer spark joy.May 8, 2026